Parnassim, Benefactors and Public Figures

Aside from Chassidim, studious people, there were benefactors who lived in
Kielce who donated a portion of their wealth for the benefit of the public. I
will mention the most famous of these here, those whose names were known beyond
the bounds of Kielce and were known throughout the country of Poland. And also
some of the simple householders, benefactors who were involved in public life,
who serve as examples of the average Jew of Kielce.

Rabbi Mosze Pffefer ZL

Rabbi Mosze Pffefer was in his actions and deeds an outstanding man among his
fellow citizens. He stood at the first line in the Kielce congregation with
his wealth, with his multi-faceted personality and with his endeavors, at the
initial foundation of the of the community the man got up and gave a tremendous
push to its growth and development.

He was not an industrialist, but still did much to improve the economic
situation of the Jews of Kielce. As a contractor, lumber merchant, owner of
the Nichczyc estate, he employed Jews from his community in all of
his businesses.

This man is worthy of expanding upon also to perpetuate his memory for the
coming generations.

Rabbi Mosze Pffefer was a personality which is hard to find today, even among
the leaders who have ambitions of standing at the head of the nation. In him,
in this exemplary man, Torah and greatness were combined in one place. He
aroused respect with his external appearance, his facial expression and the
assertiveness of his opinions. Nobility shone from his eyes and his manner of
speech. His gestures and manners were those of an aristocrat born and bred.
He dressed as one of the Chassidim  and a special charm flowed over his
clothing, which gave him additional glory and grandeur.

He had a talent for speaking. He spoke the Polish language fluently and spoke
it like one of the Polish nobility; he also spoke fluent Russian. Every
opportunity showed him to be a gifted public speaker.

A Jew, who had not studied in school, all of whose education had been received
in cheders and the study hall, was wise enough during his life not
only to amass a great deal of wealth, that was estimated at half a million
rubles, a tremendous amount in those days, but also to acquire himself an
education to a degree well known, to learn the national languages, which
allowed him to appear in polished speeches in public places in front of high
level personages.

The Jews, the inhabitants of Kielce, respected him and admired him not only
because his home was wide open to anyone needy, or for the donations he
scattered about for the general good, but mainly because he was the glory of
the congregation. The community glorified in him. It was an honor to the
community to be led by such a superior man. Mosze Pffefer, this name was a
symbol of nobility, honor and generosity.

[Page 189]

When he started out, he was a contractor, supplied building materials for the
building of the Warsaw-Vienna railway line. After that, when he had acquired
some capital, he became a lumber merchant. Finally he also bought a large
estate Nichczyc.

Due to his large business he came into contact with the Polish nobility and
also with the district authorities, and in these circles he was respected and
taken seriously. The authorities appointed him as a member of the district
council.

In his business negotiations he kept his word; his mouth and heart were as one;
his spirit was upright without any mental crookedness, without the slyness of
peddlers, without hidden agendas, his Jewish mind, mixed with the traditional
attitude of respect for the Poretz, was attractive to the
Portzim, the estate owners who included him in their company.

His attitude towards his fellow Jews was devoted and loyal, he was involved
with them, participated in their joys and mourning. The masses of Jews
considered him their patron, their protector, who had the power to avert an
evil decree the authorities were plotting to send against them. And in
general, they said of him: Mosze Pffefer is close to royalty. And
indeed he was active and did much for the benefit of the members of his
community. First of all, many families, inhabitants of Kielce, found their
livelihood with him. Some of them as clerks and some of them as supervisors in
his many businesses. Because of him, the number of Jews in his city grew
larger. In his household, melameds, teachers, artisans and many of
his impoverished relatives whom he supported with regular allowances found work.

Mosze Pffefer was an outstanding type of those Jews, the wealthy, the leaders,
who lived in previous generations and used their wealth not only for their own
good, but also for the good of their fellows. And it was they who stood by
their brethren in the dark days and enabled them to withstand their poverty and
trials. Although there were meager, under-funded philanthropic societies like
Bikur Cholim [Visiting the Sick], Hachnasat Kalah
[Welcoming the Bride] and others whose entire existence depended upon a miracle
and whose aid to those failing among the community was like nothing at all.
Wide ranging social aid was not on their agendas nor was it possible.

In those days, the wealthy man was like a solid dike, towards whom all eyes
were turned. Also within the home of Rabbi Mosze Pffefer his generous wife
Ester'l, may she rest in peace, gave help to all those who turned to her.

However, the generosity of Reb' Mosze Pffefer's heart was not satisfied with
petty philanthropy. He had his eye on great endeavors, whose value would not
just be for moment, but for generations to come. He saw that the Kielce
community was developing and growing and did not have a public synagogue. The
members crowded into private apartments, in shtiblach, or in the
study hall, a low building that was about to collapse of age. Pffefer arose
and build upon the community lot a splendid synagogue that would do honor to
himself and his community.

The authorities, headed by the district governor, were invited to the ceremony
of setting the cornerstone. On this festive occasion, Pffefer gave a speech in
Russian. The ceremony made a great impression upon all of those gathered, and
the honor of this benefactor went way up.

[Page 190]

On the day of the consecration the joy of the community members was very great.
They saw before them a minor temple built with much splendor. An iron fence
surrounded it with stone steps by the entrance. The inner organization gave
the building an atmosphere of holiness. Everyone who entered was surrounded
with a sense of mystery. A sense of awe and feelings of holiness were awakened
in him.

Also at this opportunity Pffefer gave a speech in Russian, in the presence of
the authorities. In his speech he quoted the words of King Solomon, who spoke
before the congregation of Israel on the day of the consecration of the temple.
He emphasized in his speech that in this minor temple they would pray for the
welfare of the rulers and for the welfare of the country, for that is the
commandment from our prophets, and we observe their edicts. From the day we
were exiled from our country and were scattered among the nations of the world,
we pray for the welfare of the rulers and ask for the good of the country, for
peace for them  is peace for us as well. He continued and said:
This synagogue will be open before all people, to Jews and to non-Jews,
for one God created us and all of us  our eyes turn to him in our
prayers.

This speech aroused great applause from the entire audience. The district
governor shook the speaker's hand and expressed his thanks to him in the name
of the government for his generosity.

The Jews, full of joy, returned to their homes, convinced that their community
had been elevated by the endeavor of this philanthropist.

Meanwhile, new times came. A new generation arose. New streams conquered the
hearts and minds of the young people; and they not only did not give proper
respect to this generous man who was elevated above others, but they began to
mock him and put down the value of his activities.

The fifth year of the 20th century arrived. The liberation movement, which had
made waves throughout mighty Russia, also did not pass over Kielce. Parties
and factions arose, and they removed the champions of the people from their
elevated positions.

The new generation, Zionists as well as all sorts of Socialists, began to treat
people like Mosze Pffefer with scorn and indifference. The early ones called
him a Ma Yafit'nik for the way he groveled before the
Poretz and before whoever held authority. The national renewal
movement demanded that everyone, first of all, have an erect posture, a
recognition of self-value, courage and forthrightness in demanding human
rights. Groveling, a justified request that is framed in the language of
begging, in weak language, in a low tone, all these attributes of exile were
hated by the nationalists.

Mosze Pffefer, who in their eyes was an outstanding example of the older
generation, appeared lowly to them, wholly lacking in respect. And on the
other hand, the leftists, the revolutionaries, saw him as the representative of
the class they hated and fought against, whose time had past and which needed
to make way for the working class, and therefore it is a commandment to beat it
into the ground.

In order to describe the relationships that formed at this time between the
activist elements in the Kielce public and Mosze Pffefer, I will mention on
episode here that will show us very clearly the revolution that took place then
in the minds and hearts of the younger generation which was educated by the
influences of the Zionists and the socialists and which adopted their slogans.

[Page 191]

In the elections to the second Duma [Russian parliament] in 1907, the election
battle in Polish society was conducted between two large parties, the Endeks
(Nationalist Democrats) and the Progressive Polish Party. The first used
anti-Semitic slogans, and had great influence upon the Polish masses, for the
Catholic clergy supported this party.

The second had not yet been swept away by the anti-Semitic current and in order
to increase its strength, when it went out to campaign, it wanted to draw the
Jews into its ranks.

These two Polish parties conducted their election campaigns in Kielce as well.
Kielce was a bastion of anti-Semitism. The Endeks found fertile ground for
their activities there. The Progressives made up only a small minority. The
most notable members of the Progressives were Papiwski, a dentist; Artwinski, a
pharmacist; Riger, editor of the newspaper Echo Kielcka; and a few
others, representatives of the workers party PPS who were simultaneously
representatives of the Kielce Progress. With their meager forces they could
not go out to do battle against a strong party like the N.D. party, which held
most of Poland in the palm of its hand, therefore they turned to the Jews, who
also had no chance of winning, with a proposal of campaigning together, united
and integrated into a single election list. The mediators between the Polish
Jews and Progressives were the assimilated Jews.

An early meeting of voters was called in the hall of the Achiezer
society that was next to the synagogue, for purposes of public relations and
propaganda among the Jewish population. The main goal of the meeting was
explaining the topic of the elections to the Jews and to emphasize the
advantage that would accrue to the Jews from the cooperation with the
Progressive Poles.

Representatives of the Progressive Party were also invited to this meeting.
The initiator of the meeting was Mosze Pffefer, who opened it and suggested
electing the lawyer Majzel as chairman of the meeting, an extremely assimilated
man. (By the way, it must be noted here that this Majzel converted out of
Judaism before his death).

Immediately voices of protest were heard from among the audience: We
don't want an assimilated chairman who is distanced from the Jews and their
affairs.

Pffefer was astounded at what his ears were hearing. How many efforts had he
invested until he was able to bring this lawyer to a meeting of Jews; the
presence of Poles at this meeting was what moved him to come and participate in
it; also, the opportunity to be a candidate for a delegate to the Russian Duma
tempted his sense of importance and he agreed to honor the meeting with his
presence; and suddenly he sees, that in the eyes of the Jews who usually
prostrated themselves before him when they came into his office, he was now of
little value and not worthy of the respect that even the Poles, in their
meetings, did not withhold from him.

Furious from the insult, that the wearers of long kapotes [the long
Chassidic coats] dared to throw at him in the presence of the Poles, he grabbed
his hat and prepared to leave saying: Apparently I am not wanted here,
this is not my place.

[Page 192]

But Pffefer and the Poles stopped him, calmed him down by saying that most of
the audience admire and respect him, and the calls had come from some insolent
young men whom the Zionists had confused with chauvinist ideas.

After the voices were quieted, Pffefer gave a fiery speech against those who
had disrupted the meeting. He said: The Jewish meetings were always
notable for lack of order, yells and disagreements until they became a fable
and a paradigm: 'Jewish Meeting' was a symbol of argument and chaos. However
new times have arrived. We the Jews have also received the right to vote from
the government. The duty, therefore, is for us to demonstrate to the nations
and the ministers that we are worthy of these rights. First of all, he
continued, I demand manners from you, I invited this guest to this
meeting, the respected and admired Mecnas who is a glory to our
city, and all its inhabitants without any difference in religion hold his name
dear. He is my personal guest in my apartment, and I demand that you elect him
to the chairman of this meeting, for whatever the 'ba'alhabayit' [owner of the
house] tells you to do  you do! I am putting this matter to a vote:
whoever wants Mr. Majzel to be chairman, raise his hand.

Of course, after a speech like that, the assimilated man received an absolute
majority.

Consoled by Pffefer's speech and the results of the vote, Majzel was willing to
receive this honor from the audience and agreed to lead the meeting. When he
took his place, he began to express, as is customary, words of thanks to the
audience for the honor they did him. However he was not able to finish his
opening words  he was immediately stopped by new voices, more energetic
cries than the earlier ones: Yiddish! Speak Yiddish! This is a Jewish
meeting!

These calls made the chairman very embarrassed and he turned reprovingly to
Pffefer for giving him such a burden that he could not bear. Drops of
perspiration appeared on his brow and rolled down his face. His expression
showed shame. He was at a loss, didn't know how to get out of this
uncomfortable situation. He was especially ashamed in front of the Poles, who
were participating in this meeting.

However the Poles understood more of this matter than the assimilated Jews. To
the Poles, the demand was a legitimate one. At a Jewish meeting the speakers
must speak in a language that is understood by the audience. One of them,
Riger, the newspaper editor, got up and declared that he also supports this
demand that the speeches be in the Jewish language.

The chairman then announced that he relinquishes the honor and is leaving the
running of the meeting for the simple reason that he doesn't know the
Jargon. It was a mistake on the part of the audience who elected
him, and a mistake on his part for accepting the role of chairman in a meeting
so entirely foreign to his spirit.

Pffefer tried to quiet things down. He again took the floor and declared:
We are Poles of the faith of Moses, and the Polish language is our
language, and we must use it in public gatherings. Such words, coming
from the mouth of a Chassidic Jew, who had also not compromised on the kippa
and did not sit with his head uncovered, stirred things up even more.

[Page 193]

Only after a compromise decision was reached which stated that every person was
given permission to speak in a language that was comfortable and desirable to
him and according to the demands of one of the audience that words that are not
comprehensible to him must be translated into a language he understands, did
the voices quiet down.

The chairman ran the meeting for only a short time. He saw and was confronted
with how lowly and scorned was the glorious Mecnas in the eyes of the new
generation, which was meeting him for the first time in its life; he could not
take the assaults and frequent attacks and the disgraceful names that were the
lot of those of the speakers who were assimilated.

After a short time, Majzel left the meeting, and Pffefer conducted it to the
end. Jews spoke, Poles spoke. There were no more interruptions, there were no
more obstructions, finally a combined committee, Polish-Jewish, was elected to
tend to the elections and to conduct propaganda among the population.

Majzel who left this meeting shame-faced and depressed, wanted to restore his
dignity, which, from now on, was in danger, he got up and publicized an
announcement in the local Polish press that he was retiring entirely from the
matter of the elections. The Endeks who wanted to increase their strength put
him on their list, believing that he would draw the votes of the Jews in their
favor.

The propaganda on both sides was conducted with great energy. On the Jewish
street the young people were active with great enthusiasm. Chassidim,
assimilated Jews, Zionists and Socialists united in order to defeat the Endeks.
In these elections the members of the Hassenbajn family, the father and his
son the lawyer demonstrated especially great activism, they devoted themselves
wholeheartedly to running the campaign, did not spare effort or money on the
elections. They sent special messengers to small villages to bring the Jewish
voters to the district capital where the elections took place.

It was very difficult to arouse the village Jew, preoccupied with his own
affairs, to treat the matter of the election with anything other than
indifference, and he wanted to first of all know what good would come to him
from the matter, and if it was worth the expenditure and traveling to the
district capital, where the balloting was. And in general, a fear to stick
one's head into a dark place, to interfere in a matter that one didn't
understand. It took a lot of effort and bribes of money for such a Jew to
agree to travel to the city in a farmer's cart to fulfil his civic duty. In
spite of all the great labor that the Jews of Kielce invested in these
elections, the Endeks won. The Polish Progress was limited in those days to a
narrow circle of intellectuals, and their connection with the Jews was to their
detriment. By doing so they distanced from their camp also the classes, which
were close to them in spirit like the laboring classes. The hand of the Jew in
the middle  ruined their list in the eyes of every Pole.

After these elections, Mosze Pffefer saw himself as humiliated and removed from
the height of his position and his greatness not only in the eyes of the Poles,
who began demonstrating their anti-Semitism and their scorn towards the
community leaders, but also in the eyes of the Jews; he had especially lost his
appeal with the younger generation. Pffefer's faith in his method, the method
of concealment, the method of the assimilated Jews who called themselves
Poles of the Mosaic faith was weakened.

[Page 194]

He attempted to salvage his standing in the Kielce community. In his desire to
demonstrate to the members of his community that he too was aware of the spirit
of the times and that nationalism also had a place in his heart, he invited the
writer of these lines to teach the son of his old age, Jeszaja, Hebrew language
and grammar. This step was supposed to be a sign that he was no longer
ignoring the demands of the times.

However, rage leapt upon him from another place, and he could not dwell in
Kielce in peace.

As mentioned earlier, Pffefer built the synagogue upon the community lot, and
here a creditor found a place to demand his debt.

Between Pffefer and Reb' Mosze Chaim Kaminer there was constant opposition.
The reasons for their conflict were varied. Some of them personal and some of
them public and some of them due to the hunger for power over the Jewish
population of Kielce. The question: who was ahead? injected venom
between them. In any case, this was not a difference for the sake of heaven.

Kaminer, who was then at the head of the community, brought a legal suit
against Pffefer for building the synagogue, which was his private property,
upon a public lot and demanded to clear the lot or turn the synagogue over to
the community.

The disagreement ignited and had an effect upon the Kielce public as well. The
congregation divided into two camps. Each one of the rivals had his own side.
Kaminer and his faction looked for any opportunity for excuses to besmirch
their rival justifiably or not.

Finally Pffefer grew tired of the squabbling and arguments, which were
destabilizing the community, and he decided to leave Kielce. A few years
before the outbreak of World War I, he moved to Warsaw.

The matter of the synagogue was settled in favor of the community. The entire
building was given over to the congregation on the condition that a part of its
income be dedicated to supporting the impoverished relatives of Reb' Mosze
Pffefer. Berisz Pffefer, an old man, one of his relatives, came to function as
a second gabbai of the synagogue with a regular salary.

In Warsaw, Pffefer retired into his own private affairs and we didn't hear
about any public activity on his part.

However, at the end of World War I, the name of Mosze Pffefer came up again in
the area of political activism; not in the area of Jewish activism, but in
broader areas. He entered the royal council as a delegate.

At the end of the war, the Germans seeing that the cycle of battles was not
going in their favor, attempted to draw to their side the minorities, which had
previously been subjugated to Russia and during the war were under German
occupation. To do this, they granted them autonomy and self rule. For the
Poles they created a National Council whose members were not
elected by the people, but appointed by the German authorities according to the
lists that they were given by the gatherings of estate owners and by the
municipal magistrates of the large cities.

The task of the National Council was to conduct the internal
affairs of the state.

[Page 195]

A number of Jews also entered this council. Pffefer also became a member of
this council for the estate owners wanted to demonstrate their liberalism and
decorated their list also with one Jew and they chose Pffefer, who owned an
estate and was worthy of receiving a mandate.

In the deliberations of the council, Pffefer once requested the floor regarding
an important matter that was then on the agenda. At the start of his words, he
apologized and asked forgiveness for allowing himself to express an opinion
about a matter of importance to the country in spite of his being a Jew.

His manner of speech and his prostration before the Gentiles in this
legislative institution aroused strong protests from his Jewish friends, who
saw an insult to themselves in these stammering and defeatist words of a
so-called representative of the Jews.

Noach Prylucki, the representative of the Jews of Warsaw, stopped the speaker
with a call of protest and requested the chairman to remind Pffefer, that all
the members of the council are equal in rights and one must not apologize for
the expression of an opinion about any subject.

The attitude of scorn and disdain of the Jewish delegates towards Pffefer
embittered his spirit and removed from him the courage to express his opinion
and finish his speech.

In addition to this insult that he garnered in the legislative house, an
unpleasant surprise awaited him in the street as well. The Jews, who heard his
words in the gallery, went out to the street to wait for Pffefer, and when he
left they assaulted him calling Ma Yafit'nik and Buz
[Shame]. Hurriedly, he hid in a carriage that was waiting him in front of the
legislative house and left the place.

This insult depressed him very much. He took ill from the surfeit of sorrow
and did not recover from his illness.

His death did not arouse any echo in the Diaspora of Israel. However, the Jews
of Kielce mourned his death. In their eyes, Reb' Mosze Pffefer remained an
outstanding man who had with his actions and endeavors given a tremendous push
to the rapid growth of their community and left himself a memorial due to the
splendid synagogue he built for it.

The Zagajski Family

The Zagajski family belonged to the benefactors of the city who earned a
special reputation, who have already been mentioned on earlier pages of this
book, and therefore I will not expand upon them here. I will mention only the
charitable and merciful endeavors that members of this family founded and which
were a glory and honor to the Zagajski family and the Kielce community.

One.

An old age home, a charitable institution, which was a blessing for elderly
people with no one to care for them.

Two.

A building for the orphanage in which abandoned orphans found shelter,
education and care and which had existed previously in a rented apartment which
was not appropriate for such an institution.

Three.

Three.A study hall for the inhabitants of the city  Hawser Square and its
surroundings, a place for prayer and Torah.

Four.

A road to the Jewish cemetery so that those accompanying the deceased would not
sink into the mud during the rainy season.

These were the notable activities of the members of this family, aside from
their daily acts of charity and kindness.

[Page 196]

Many other Jews from Kielce excelled in acts of charity and kindness, and it is
not possible to list them all; we will mention below several of them who stood
out in public life.

GIMPEL MOSZKOWICZ,an ultra-orthodox Jew from those close to the Admor of
Radomsko, owner of a large business selling flour and very generous with
charitable and public needs.

His son
AHARON JOSEF MOSZKOWICZ,one of the Zionist activists, member of the
Kielce municipality on their behalf, active in many charity societies such as
Linat HaTzedek, the orphanage and others.

MORDECHAI DAWID KRYSTAL,owner of a factory for wooden flooring, a Chassid who
was a well educated benefactor to the public good. His son, Wolf, was a
well-known musician in Poland.

His son-in-law
AHARON GRANDAPEL,one of the leaders of the Zionists in Kielce,
moved to Israel after the war and died here.

MEJER AJZENBERG,the son of Reb' Josele Ajzenberg (Kaczka), a public activist,
was especially devoted to the Talmud Torah and the orthodox schools as well as
to the mikveh [ritual bath] and public bath in which he invested much of his
money and labor for the good of the public.

The brothers
ICAK AND JOEL KLAJNMAN,owners of sawmills for lumber and lumber
expert, philanthropic Jews who donated generously to public needs and charity.

JOSZKE (JAKOB JOSEF) ROTENBERG,son of the rabbi of Wodzislaw, an authority and
arbiter, owner of a wholesale business for kerosene and representative of
international fuel companies, a man with a good heart and very generous, a host
in the style of Grandfather Israel.

His son
MOSZE ROTENBERG,who inherited his devotion to public causes from his
father. Regarding his activities in Israel and outside of it we have already
made mention in earlier chapters. Arrived with his family in Israel and died
here. Also Joszke's daughter, Hena Mincberg and his grandchildren from his son
Jehuda who died during the war in Russia, moved and settled in Israel.

JAKOB SZAJNFELD,son of Reb' Jechiel was also a wholesale kerosene merchant, of
the benefactors of the city. Two of his sons, Szalom and Aharon moved to
Israel before the war and settled there.

JOSEL FRIDMAN,owner of flourmills, of the leading citizens of the city,
donated to every charity and public need most generously.

PALTIEL FIRSTENBERG
had a large family, known for his public and social
activity. One of his sons, a doctor, and his daughter, are in Israel.

SZEFTEL TAUMAN,son-in-law of Jakob Zagajski, great-grandson of the Admor
of Kock, an educated and well-read Jew, with a sensitive soul and spirit,
participated in all of the charitable endeavors of the Zagajski family.

LEON RAJZMAN,owner of a factory for flooring, one of the important benefactors
and philanthropists in the city.

MENDEL LIFSZYCZ,from a well-known Chassidic family, owned stone quarries and
lime kilns, one of the founders of Linat HaTzedek, active in many
of the charitable and helping institutions.

DAWID LEWARTOWSKI,one of the important Chassidim of the Admor of
Checiny, son of a good family and an arbiter, excellent prayer leader, with a
warm Jewish heart, he and his wife Chana-Sara excelled in giving charity in
secret. He dealt in wholesale commerce in kerosene, pickles and salt. The
father of Szmuel Lewartowski and the father-in-law of Icak Kirszenbaum, about
whom we spoke in earlier chapters.

At the consecration of the Home for the
Aged,
donated by the Zagajski family

PINCHAS ZAJDE,a textile wholesaler, benefactor and active in all the public
institutions. His son Mejer was an active Zionist. His younger son Jehuda
 one of the leaders of Poalei Zion (left) in Kielce, his
daughter Fajga (Fajngold) was a devoted Zionist, his second daughter, Manja, a
dentist, lives in Israel.

SZMUEL ABA BALICKI,owner of a textile business, active member of the public
and charity institutions. His daughter Casza (Zilber-Ewen) is in Israel.

The brothers
MORDECHAI AND SZMARJA MACHTYNGER,lumber merchants, men of
excellent characters and fine qualities. Szmarja moved to Israel before the
war and built several houses in Tel-Aviv. The son of Mordechai,
IZRAEL
MACHTYNGER
fell in the battle for Gaza in 5717 [1957].

AWRAHAM FINKELSZTAJN,one of the important Zionists in the city, a generous
man, comfortable with people and active in many social societies.

ELIEZER TAUMAN,the son-in-law of Eli' Naftali Ajzenberg, owner of a large
textile business, one of the respected citizens of the city, donated generously
to all of the charitable and social institutions. His son Josef moved to
Israel before the war and serves in the navy as an engineer with the rank of
major, and is also an assistant-lecturer at the Technion in Haifa.

Zyskind Herman

ZYSKIND HERMAN, a native of Warsaw, son-in-law of Lajbel and Malka Lea
Goldszmid, a Torah scholar with a sharp mind, one of the great textile
merchants, manufacturer and owner of a private financial institution, member of
the committee of the merchants association and the supervising committee of the
Jewish Gymnasium, one of the founders of the Charity Fund to aid the little
man, the peddler and the artisan. He visited the land of Israel with his wife
Szewa (Batszewa); they bought a house in Tel-Aviv and were getting ready to
settle here. They had to travel to Poland and were stuck there when the war
broke out. His sons received a Zionist education, studied at the Hebrew
Gymnasium in Kielce and continued later at universities abroad. Today they are
in Tel-Aviv and work in academic professions: Dr. Awraham Herman, a
pediatrician, Jechiel Herman, a lawyer and Dr. Jakob Herman, a gynecologist.

Pinchas Zloto

Among the inhabitants of Kielce who influenced the form of its Jewish life the
figure of Reb' Pinchas Zloto stands out.

A native of Wygoda, Kielce District (his father - an estate owner, a descendant
of Rabbi Yom-Tow Lipman Heller, author of the Tosfot Yom-Tov), in
his youth, Reb' Pinchas moved to Suchedniow, near Kielce. Here he worked in
trading kerosene and lumber and crowded into the shade of the Admor of
Suchedniow, Rabbi Elimelech Rabinowicz, ZTZL. During the period of World
War I he moved to Kielce together with his rebbe. Here he found himself
fertile ground for developing economic initiative. First he worked
manufacturing whitewash, later as a representative of beverage companies, and
finally as one of the directors of a cooperative credit institution.

[Page 199]

The father of a large family (2 daughters and 8 sons) he gave his children a
traditional-nationalist education. While he was one of the well-to-do citizens
of the city, Reb' Pinchas ran away from honor. He wasn't an active Zionist
worker, but his heart and pocket were open to the needs of the Zionist
movement, Hebrew culture and the settlement of the land of Israel. It was
natural that his son Mejer was one of the outstanding public activists in the
city, one of the founders of the Hebrew Gymnasium and more, his son Natan, one
of the first young people from Kielce who moved to the land of Israel in 1920
and put down roots there (today, one of the respected citizens of Nes-Ziona),
his son Hilel, one of the loyal members of the Union in Tel-Aviv, his
son-in-law  Jehuda Kopf  one of the founders of the Revisionist
movement in Kielce (today  in Tel-Aviv, a jurist, secretary of the civil
branch of the district court).

Pinchas Zloto

There was in him a nice combination of assertiveness and gentleness. The man
was very strict, both towards himself and towards others. He was strict about
physical cleanliness and spiritual purity, and on the other hand, there were
not many like him who had pity upon others in distress and who gave charity in
secret. He worked his whole life with Christian forest owners and
manufacturers, but was not one of those whose stature bowed in the presence of
the Goy. In his patriarchal figure, his assertive behavior, in his
commercial honesty and even in the strict Polish accent  he aroused a
feeling of respect in all who came into contact with him.

He made sure his daughters married sons of good families:
His first son-in-law  Rabbi Izrael Feferman, HYD, was a well-known
merchant in Kielce. His second son-in-law, Rabbi Awraham Aba Kopf HYD,
an arbiter, son of a Chassidic family, one of those close to the Admor of
Modzicz, ZTZL. He was granted that his son Jehuda (see above) moved
during his lifetime to the land of Israel and settled there.

Reb' Pinchas died during the period of the Shoah (1940), however he was granted
a natural death and even a respectable funeral, one of the last in which the
inhabitants of the city could give public expression to their sorrow.

May his memory be blessed.

Natan Dawid Zajfman

Many of the veteran inhabitants of Kielce remember the wonderful figure of Reb'
Natan Dawid Zajfman, one of the first members of the community in the city. A
good Jew, a quiet and modest man, gifted with exalted qualities, he enjoyed
learning and working and helping others already in his youth. And even if he
was not the wealthiest man, his home was open to anyone needy. This house was
full of bubbling life, for there were many children in it and they had many
friends from the most excellent families of the city.

Natan Dawid Zajfman owned a large shop for clothing, furs and textiles in the
center of the city for 55 years.

[Page 200]

His name was well known as that of an upright man who kept to the tradition and
was a loyal Chassid of the Rebbe of Radoszyce. He was a loyal friend to many
charity and aid institutions, in which he was active. Towards the end of his
life he was granted nachas [pleasure] from his sons and family
members and was especially proud of his son Jakob who moved to the land of
Israel with a group of immigrants from the Shomer HaTza'ir and was
one of those who built Kibbutz Ein HaChoresh in the Chefer Valley where he
still lives today.

Natan Dawid Zajfman

Of his other children, his son Mosze Zajfman was notable as a founder of
HaZamir and HaShomer in Kielce, and he was seriously
injured in the pogrom in 1918, he devoted much of his time to public activity
as a member of the committee of the merchants association and the board of the
Popular Bank in Kielce. In 1933, he immigrated to Paris and was very active as
the chairman of the organization of Kielce natives in that city until his death
in 1954.

His third son, Kalmen Zajfman, an agronomist by profession, excelled in
rehabilitating the pioneer farms Grochow next to Warsaw, during the
war, during the war this pioneer farm supplied vegetables to the Warsaw ghetto.
At this post of his he fell together with the rest of the martyrs at the hands
of the Nazi murderers, may their name be erased.

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